This is actually my second attempt at writing this fic. I tried to, once upon a time, long ago. I want to try again.
See the end of the chapter for further notes, including what was different from that original version vs this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. Nor any of the elements from the surprise crossover.

Roxas's Mark of Mastery
1. Arrival

The corridor opened in the middle of a bright wood. Roxas stepped out, the portal closing behind him. He was still learning how to activate his Keyblade Glider, so a corridor to darkness would have to suffice (traveling through it cloaked, of course). As his blue eyes surveyed his surroundings, he removed the hood of his cloak. This world seemed like a nice place. The woods were a bright, vibrant green and golden sunlight shone through them. But Roxas also knew looks could be deceiving. The friendliest looking worlds could often hide dark secrets.

Still, he'd never know if he didn't explore. So Roxas took off, walking along the path. He found his pace slowed. A calm washed over him. Was it the world itself? He had to admit, this place just felt nice. But Master Yen Sid probably wasn't wrong.

It had been at least a month since Xehanort had been defeated and Sora disappeared. The Warriors of Light met once more at Yen Sid's tower, discussing what course of action they could take to find him. People were starting to get worried, especially Riku and Kairi. With every passing moment, any trail Sora left was growing cold.

"I cannot just send you out into the universe." Yen Sid's voice was calm and firm. "I understand your concern, but without any leads, there is little we can do. You could get lost yourselves looking for Sora."

Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Lea, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua were all there. They all felt obligated to Sora, given the role he played in their lives.

"But we can't do nothing!" Riku interjected firmly. "Sora wouldn't do anything either."

"I agree Riku." Yen Sid held up a hand, trying to calm him down. "But without any leads, looking for Sora now would yield little success. The universe is infinite, and he could be anywhere." His eyes traveled over everyone present. "And even though our numbers have grown, we are still too few to conduct a search like that."

"He would look for us!" Kairi said firmly. It was true.

"And I'm not saying to give up." The former Keyblade Master clarified. "Sora is a smart boy. I'm sure, as soon as he's able, he will send out some form of message or signal, letting us know where he is."

He continued. "Do not forget your own hearts. Sora has forged powerful bonds with not just you, but everyone here. If Sora was in danger, I have no doubt his heart would reach out to any of you."

Riku and Kairi, as well as everyone else fell quiet. The magic of the heart was indeed powerful. They let Yen Sid's words sink in, calming down as well.

"And we will not be idle either." The sorcerer went on. "There is much we can do to prepare." His strict, piercing gaze fell onto Roxas.

"Uh...me?" He pointed to himself, confused.

Yen Sid nodded, a small smile crinkling his lips. "Yes. Given your...unique situation, I think it best you undertake your own Mark of Mastery exam." He explained. "It may be beneficial to have everyone ready. Becoming a Keyblade Master would perhaps be the best way of doing so."

Roxas couldn't disagree. True, his journey as a Keyblade wielder was...different to put it mildly. But he did feel a strange sense of pride knowing he was still eligible for Mastery, even as a Nobody.

Yen Sid raised his hands, conjuring up his massive book. Opening it, the pages lit up, conjuring the image of one of the biggest worlds Roxas had ever seen. One region had beautiful fields, farms, and villages. He also noticed what looked like a barren wasteland around a black volcano spewing smoke. There were also vast forests, large mountain ranges, what looked like a white castle, and other places and areas.

"I have been monitoring the worlds," Yen Sid explained, "and I've noticed a disturbing presence here." He gestured to the image before them. "It is my belief that the evil that dwells within this world could grow powerful enough to escape it and spread to other worlds."

"Just like Maleficent." Roxas heard Terra mumble.

"Yes." Yen Sid heard it too. "But, unlike Maleficent, the evil I sense here could be strong enough to do so without Xehanort's influence."

His expression turned grim. "Many years ago, Xehanort himself was tasked with vanquishing the evil growing within this world." He said. "At the time, we thought he succeeded. That does not appear to be the case."

Yen Sid closed the book and turned his gaze back to Roxas. "For your exam, Roxas, your mission will be one of two objectives." He said. "Either to defeat the evil growing here. Or if you cannot, to seal this world's keyhole, so that it cannot escape."

"Got it!" The blonde nodded.

"Looks like the ice cream is gonna be my treat when you get back." Lea chuckled.

"I have every faith in you Roxas." Yen Sid smiled.

The path seemed to let out into a clearing. A field of the greenest grass Roxas had ever seen. A still, no signs of any kind of dark presence. Though, yes, Roxas had only just arrived.

Roxas paused. He heard something. Rolling and creaking. And a voice. As it got closer, it sounded old and raspy. A man's voice. And he was singing.

"The road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now, far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow if I can."

Getting off the road, Roxas turned around to see a large, wooden cart drawn by a brown horse. At the reins was an old man clothed head to toe in a long gray robe. A gray cloaked draped around him. Atop his head was a stormy blue, wide-rimmed hat that climbed up cone-shaped to a tall point. Underneath, he sported long, curly, wiry hair in shades of gray, white, silver, and everything in between that hang down behind his head. And his wrinkled face had a matching beard that went down to his stomach. Behind him, on the cart, rested a long wooden staff that reached a gnarled wooden tip.

The old man pulled on the reins, bringing the cart to a halt beside Roxas. Slowly, he turned towards the young warrior of light. His head lifted, revealing bright blue eyes that seemed ageless.

"Hello." He greeted cordially. His raspy voice had an aura of power to it.

Hesitantly, Roxas returned the greeting only with a nod.

"I don't usually see men in these parts." He went on. "Where do you hail from, and what brings you here?"

"Oh uh..." Roxas chuckled nervously, rubbing that back of his head, smiling awkwardly. He tried to come up with an excuse quickly. Attempting to preserve the world order. "Well...I've lost my map." The hesitance made the lie seem more obvious. "Could you tell me where I am?"

The old man surveyed Roxas in silence for a moment. Under his gaze, Roxas felt exposed, as if his little lie had been immediately caught. But finally, he smiled, seemingly determining Roxas was not a threat.

"You in the Shire." He said finally. "In the western region of Middle-Earth."

Now Roxas had a name for this world. That could go a long way. Before he could respond, the old man went on.

"As for your being lost, hop on." He gestured to an empty space beside his cart. "I'm visiting an old friend of mine. And I'm sure he'll have map you can look at. He's also a very gracious host. If you need supplies, I'm sure he'll be more than happy."

The smile on Roxas's face was earnest this time. Smiling, he climbed onto the cart. Once settled, the old man gently cracked the reins and the horse continued its relaxed trot.

"Thank you mister...?"

"You may call me Gandalf."

WRITER'S COMMENTARY:

Yes. This is a crossover between Kingdom Hearts and The Lord of the Rings.
A crossover that realistically (because of licensing and distribution and differing rights holders) would realistically never happen. But, I feel that the two properties would blend well together, so I thought I'd write it up.

This is a story I've actually been wanting to do for some time. In fact, I even attempted to write it once before. I never got too far into it, and abandoned the story. But I'm trying again.

A few differences between that story and this story:

*My original version of the story actually focused on Axel/Lea.

*As I was writing this story prior to the release of Kingdom Hearts III, I was going to have it set before Kingdom Hearts III. The premise would have been the same- Yen Sid sends Axel to Middle-Earth as his test for the Mark of Mastery. However, Kingdom Hearts III makes it clear Lea & Kairi are undertaking their own Mark of Mastery exams during the course of KHIII's story.
- Also, being set before KHIII, there was a scene originally in this opening chapter, that I of course cut. Xehanort and the Dark Seekers observing Lea arriving at Middle-Earth. Xehanort decides to let them be, having faced the evils of Middle-Earth before and knowing the threat it poses (this will be elaborated on in a future chapter, as was planned in the original story too). Xehanort would say Lea would have been doing them a favor.

*There was going to be a sub-plot involving Maleficent and Pete. I'm cutting it from this iteration of the story. I don't remember how involved it was, and as it is, I just don't have a purpose for them, or really know how their involvement would influence the narrative.

*Similarly, I was going to have this story structured similar to "Port Royal" from Kingdom Hearts II; having Lea face a combination of enemies- Heartless, Nobodies, and foes unique to the world. Though, in the original version of this fic, it would just be the Heartless. This is something I'm going to be cutting for the most part. Again, like Maleficent and Pete, I don't know how their involvement would influence and change things. The Heartless will make appearances early on in this story. But as it progresses, they'll slowly be phased out.

*This should be an obvious one, but just in case, I'm going to be using Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies as the basis for the crossover, not J.R.R. Tolkein's original books. I might have one or two aspects of the books rear their head (which, you'll kinda see what I mean as early as next chapter).
- For those of you in the know about these movies (don't worry if you've never seen them, it won't effect you either way), I am basing events off of the EXTENDED EDITIONS of the movies, as it's become my preferred way of watching them.

*More of a general note in regards to the story. There's a lot, A LOT, of characters and locations in The Lord of the Rings that are spelled with special characters, letters with accent marks and such. These names are intentionally going to be spelled incorrectly. Just for the sake of my sanity, I'm not going to seek out and use those characters.

Feedback is always appreciated.